101 Uses For is popular and let's hope it stays that way. Our second book is presently called 101 tips for self sufficiency; we will certainly dip into this section for ideas. So post away and let's try and get at least one thread up to 101.

In regards to us becoming more intolerant of wheat we need to remember that the wheat we grow now is vastly different from the wheat grown 50 -100 years ago. Demands from industry and the consumer has led to ongoing breeding of wheats that contain ever higher levels of glutens (wheat proteins). The glutens are what makes doughs "elastic" and create the fine white high quality bread products we demand today. Premiums are paid to growers for prime hard wheats which are high in proteins - similar to premiums paid for milk high in fats. Blame the consumer not the grower, they are only providing the product the market demands - farmers are in the business of making money, not growing food.

As an aside, at least in Australia Glyphosate is not generally used as a dessicant - it is just too slow acting for that (takes at least 2 weeks for full effect) and will stop grain development within 24 hours - the product works by stopping the photosynthesis process and starves the plant to death. More likely the Bypyridilliums are used, most of which are highly toxic; these products break the surface cell walls leading to rapid moisture loss and desication - takes about 8 hours for full effect - kills top growth but not root systems. These products are in common use in the EU. In potatoes, use of Glyphosate would kill the tubers and they would decay rapidly.

It's tricky isn't it, this issue of where responsibility lies in the supply chain. I don't blame farmers at all for the woes of modern food production - I blame the supermarkets and large food distributors like Unilever.

They claim to be just supplying what the consumer wants but the fact is the consumer doesn't know what they want until they are told they want it by the supermarkets, with the weight of multimillion pound marketing campaigns behind them.

"A pretty face is fine, but what a farmer needs is a woman who can carry a pig under each arm"

I read somewhere (cant remember where) that walnuts also are a food that can assist.

I have major problems in memory as well. I did have a work related head injury but then I ask myself.... Is that just and excuse I find is a way out of trying harder?

My wife has an incredible memory. She reads a tremendous amount & months later something may spark her memory and she tells me all about the topic. Extraordinary! She does use "words of association" but for me, that twice as much to remember!

I do reckon that the world has changed and now with all this technology, we are bombarded with so much more data that we feel we should know about and take in. But still, why cant I remember my son-n-laws name, straight away?

Well if you find out and can remember to let us know, that would be good.

More seriously, I don't really know. Various techniques get promoted "mind mapping" and that sort of thing, but like you said, that just seems to add more stuff to remember. I've never tried it though.

One thing I do know though is that keeping health good and feeding your brain the right nutrients is important. As it's largely made of cholesterol (yes that stuff the medical profession keeps trying to strip out of our bodies) I do often wonder if low fat diets and some medications might contribute to poor memory etc. Also exercising it is just as important as for the rest of the body. Reading, doing puzzles, having discussions that make you think about what you're saying, rather than just conversations all seem to me to be a great way of keeping stuff ticking along. All of this is just my opinion really, although there seems to be increasing evidence to back it up.

As for remembering your son-in-law's name - can't help. My mother called my husband Barry for years (he's Garry) then suddenly seemed to get the hang of it. So there's hope yet.

Maggie

Never doubt that you can change history. You already have. Marge Piercy

Maggie - I have the same suspicions about the low fat diets contributing to dementia in a big way. Remember that really old woman who was on the news not long ago whose diet seemed to consist mainly of eggs? Chock full of cholesterol - seemed to do her no harm.